The Namesake
by Captain Arbitrary
Summary: What defines a person is not always how they act or the choices that they make. LloydxColette


I hope you guys like this one. Reviews are appreciated. Follows the anime adaptation of the beginning of the game.

Warning: Contains massive amounts of fluff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or its characters.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Colette!" Lloyd grinned as he flipped open his palm to reveal a garnet pendant laced with a golden chain.

Colette marveled at its beauty as he handed it to her, despite Lloyd's attempts to undermine his own work. "Sorry…" He added. "I thought it would turn out better... and even my dad said it was "Amateurish, only ¼ of what I'm capable of." Heh. But you know I really did try my hardest!"

"I can tell." She beamed. "And it's beautiful, Lloyd. How did you know?"

"Hmm?" He blinked. "Know... what?"

"To make a necklace." She added, clutching the pendant in her hand. "That's what my name means, you know."

He honestly had no idea.

"…Y-yeah, I knew that! I wanted to surprise you with it, because of your name!" The red-clad swordsman replied sheepishly, glancing off to the side. He had always been afraid of making eye contact with her whenever he lied, but this time he instantly decided to take it back. "Okay, you got me… I didn't really know that. I just thought you'd like it. But what a coincidence, right Colette? …Colette?"

She appeared to be deep in thought about something, and it seemed as though she had not been paying any attention to him. He _had_ sort of hoped she had not been listening to him awkwardly trying to impress her… Still, he became concerned that he had hurt her feelings somehow.

"Well, it's... one of two meanings." She continued as if she had never finished, staring absently at the ground as the wind blew across the grassy field. "It also means 'Victory of the People.' The latter seems more appropriate, don't you think?" She mused, forcing a smile as her head cocked to the side. "An appropriate name for the Chosen, I guess."

_Colette? _Lloyd froze.

He was shocked to hear this sense of bitterness coming from Colette, even if she didn't intend for him to see it that way. In a moment she would snap out of her daze and probably try to take back what she had said or resort to apologizing profusely. But for now, her emotions were as clear as daylight and there was no denying it. It would be inhuman for anyone not to feel this way.

He would never admit this to her, but he indulged in these rare moments where he got to see a side of her that she chose not to reveal openly. It's not that he wanted her to suffer, but rather that he wanted her to allow that suffering to surface instead of being locked inside her heart. He wanted these emotions to surface, so that he could try to mend them.

"But you are like a necklace, Colette." Lloyd began. "You're like the beautiful pendant, well in this case ¼ of a beautiful pendant…" He exaggerated a laugh, trying to lighten up the mood. His face turned as red as his clothes when he realized he had just called her beautiful. By now, he noticed that her gaze had lifted to meet his own. She was eager to hear him continue, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. _Shit… did I just accidentally insult her?_

"A-and it's like you're on this chain…" The brunette's voice squeaked at the climax of that sentence. He cleared his throat before he allowed himself to continue. "And you can't find a way out of this circle of responsibility, because there's nobody else who can do what you have to do. And… yeah, I guess I'm not making any sense." Lloyd sighed in defeat, pondering the validity of his own words. Perhaps there was some truth to them?

Colette, on the other hand, was speechless. His analogy was probably the most beautiful and intelligent thing that anyone had ever said to her.

"And every necklace has a clasp, so the pendant doesn't always have to stay attached to the chain." Lloyd added softly as his gaze met hers. He knew he was heading into forbidden territory, but he didn't care. He could already see the color leaving her face.

"But without the chain…" She bit her lip, trying so hard not to let the tears fall from her eyes. Her voice was cracking and she could barely keep her audibility above a whisper. Luckily, she managed to stop them from falling in time. "The necklace cannot be complete. It's not valuable to anyone, and the nurturing that went into crafting it has then gone to waste… It can't be worn. It's no longer beautiful."

"For what it's worth, Colette, the pendant is still valuable and beautiful either way." He expressed in full confidence. "It depends on who's looking at it. And its chain can always be replaced with a different one. It can... right, Colette?"

Colette smiled weakly, although she shook her head at that last part. "I have to become an angel." She figured there was no use tip-toeing around it now. "I have to fulfill my destiny, because the chain that I find myself attached to is still a part of who I am."

"I know." He whispered and nodded, taking a step closer to her. She absently dangled the necklace over his hand as he reached out for it. He tenderly brushed his hand against hers in order to take it. After that he stepped to the side just as she turned away from him so that he could put it on her.

Neither of them realized just how intimate the moment had become until it was actually happening. Their hearts were racing as she gathered up most of her hair and placed it over her shoulder. He proceeded to clasp the golden chain around her neck, careful not to scare her by touching the bare back of her neck. When he finally clasped it together, he watched entranced as she slowly released her golden hair. It cascaded down her back, but not before getting swept up into the wind. He had truly meant it when he said she was beautiful, even though he may never have the nerve to say it so boldly again. He took a step back as she turned to face him with a smile adorned on her face. She had no idea why she felt so happy just now.

"And I want to be there with you when you become an angel and save the world. I want to be able to tell people how my closest friend did what others could only dream about. But what I'm really trying to say is that... after that." He paused for a moment. "Yes. After that, you can decide where to go from there. You're still you. And you always will be, even after you become an angel! I believe in that."

She knew he was oblivious to the inevitable truth that she was going to sacrifice herself. She knew that she would never be able to make those choices he idealized her to have. He was even oblivious to the fact that she could not take him with her on the Journey of Regeneration and risk putting his life in danger.

The life she wanted to share with Lloyd just wasn't meant to be.

But for a moment, she accepted those words that he had spoken so passionately as the absolute truth, even though today of all days was the arrival of the oracle. For now, she was simply Colette, a beautiful person with a beautiful namesake.

_If I am as beautiful as you say, Lloyd… it's because you made me that way._

"Thank you, Lloyd. This is, truly… the best birthday present I've ever received." She smiled, running her fingers along the necklace's intricate details. "Oh! But don't tell Genis I said that! You know I love his cookies, too."

"It's really nothing." He grinned bashfully, although he dismissed himself again. "Speaking of Genis' cookies, I'm starving! Maybe he made extra... Let's go see him before you go to the temple, okay?" He thought aloud as his mind began to drift away towards thoughts of consuming baked goods.

"It really means the world to me." She murmured contently to herself. _Not just the necklace, but everything you said to me. Everything you are. And that's why I'm going to save this world- the world that you live in. _"Yeah! Let's go, Lloyd!" She cheered. Her resolve was stronger than ever, if only for now.

He extended a hand to her and she accepted it. Their fingers became intertwined with each others, as opposed to their hands simply clasping together. Something had definitely changed between them. Colette wondered if perhaps Lloyd noticed this as well. Over the course of their journey together, she came to realize that there are some chains that can never be broken, even though their clasps can always be undone.

And she figured that it was the jewel that really mattered in the end._  
_


End file.
